Ex-JOURNEY Singer STEVE PERRY Says He's Not A Racist

March 19, 2010

The Pulse of Radio reports: Former JOURNEY frontman Steve Perry is defending himself after a joke by Sara Silverman allegedly made him out to be a racist. Rolling Stone reported that in the new issue of Playboy on stands today (March 19) Silverman says in an interview: "The onetime lead singer of a very popular band from the 1980s" came backstage after a show and said, "You're my favorite comedian. You have the best n***er jokes." Although Silverman didn't come outright and say it was Perry, the button of her "joke" was: "I'll just say this: "After that, I stopped believin'" — which appeared to be a poke at the band's classic hit "Don't Stop Believin'".

Perry, who's a fan of Silverman's and has met her several times said, "I'm really shocked. She was so friendly and so nice. I don't understand why she would go there, it's so bizarre. I don't use that word, are you kidding? That's so derogatory."

He went on to explain the basis of where he thinks Silverman's "joke" came from: '"I walked up to her after the show and I said, 'I can't believe that somehow you seem to be getting away with all these slurs and the n-word, I just can't believe how you're doing this,' and I looked at my friend and I said, 'I can't believe how she's getting away with this,' and she looked at me and kind of smiled. It wasn't like I was condemning her or condoning her, it was just that I can't believe how somehow creatively she was making everybody in that club of all colors and all ethnic backgrounds laugh. That's what it was."

Despite the fun at his expense, Perry says he remains a fan: "You've gotta see her show because she uses every ethnic slur known to man that historically has been very unforgivable. I'm Portuguese, that's the only ethnic background she left out, but maybe after this article she'll come after me now."

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